Derek Reckard Named New PANA President

Derek Reckard, MSN, PHRN, CRNA, was named the new president of the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists on Oct. 20 at PANA’s fall symposium at Omni Bedford Springs Resort in Bedford, Pa.

Reckard has a long history of serving PANA and its members. He has been an active board member for five years.

Before being named PANA president-elect last year preceding his elevation to the top post this weekend, Reckard served as a board Trustee and was the association’s Federal Political Director. He also served on PANA’s Governance Committee, which included state government affairs, and was chairman of the committee for the last two years.

With that background, Reckard brings a firsthand knowledge of the importance of interactions between lawmakers and their constituents --- namely, the CRNAs who live in policy-makers’ home districts.

He helped to spearhead several drop-in days for CRNAs in both Harrisburg and Washington, D.C., where nurse anesthetists walked the halls of the state and federal Capitol buildings and talked directly to state legislators and congressmen.

Expect that tradition to continue during his one-year term in 2018-19.

Reckard said he is focused on increasing member engagement, as the coming year is the best time to launch the initiative. Both the state General Assembly and Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation expect record turnover.

That means there are plenty of opportunities for CRNAs to introduce themselves and the profession to these new elected leaders --- and to start building the bridges that are needed to enact policies that benefit CRNAs and the individuals they care for.

Reckard’s initiative, “Be a KEY Contact,” which stands for the “Keystone Engagement Year,” involves recruiting volunteers who will serve as leaders who then recruit other CRNAs into advocacy work.

Actions include visiting a new legislator’s district office, with PANA and government affairs support; hosting an event with other CRNAs in the area to talk about important issues; serving as the hospital spokesperson who talks with other CRNAs in the break room or who will simply share information around the watercooler about issues PANA is managing; and much more.

Information being shared could be about planned legislative votes, upcoming PANA elections, PAC fund-raisers, regional meetings or anything else of interest.

Reckard also knows the strength of PANA is its membership. Each year, more and more people are showing up at Capitol Days and getting engaged with legislative activities. If you have ideas about how to grow the “Be a KEY Contact” campaign, let him know.

It remains as important as ever for CRNAs to remain engaged. Not only will record numbers of new lawmakers be in office, but some of the most critical issues will still be pending when the new two-year legislative sessions kick off in January 2019.

PANA successfully defeated attempts in the legislative session that just ended to push through a “scope of practice” bill that would have mandated physician supervision of nurse anesthetists in Pennsylvania. It was a major victory. Expect the anesthesiologists to make another push at the bill in the new session.

Reckard also will continue the fight for professional designation, which would formally recognize certified registered nurse anesthetists as “CRNAs” under state statute. Pennsylvania is one of just two states without designation. New York is the other.

A designation bill did advance fully through the Senate, only to get caught up in the House, but the passage provided momentum to build on when the process restarts with a new General Assembly. And the committee chairman in the House who blocked the bill has retired. It creates opportunities.

Regardless of the legislative issue, or association business, Reckard is committed to making sure PANA does all it can for its members … and that its members do all they can to help the association advance the policies that will strengthen and enhance the profession for the benefit of CRNAs and patients alike.

Reckard replaces Jodie Szlachta, Ph.D., MSN, CRNA, who will remain on the board as immediate past president and continue to support the association’s legislative, policy, outreach and advocacy work.

Look for more information about Reckard and a personal presidential message on www.PANAforQualityCare.com after his installation.

When seconds count, CRNAs are there

National CRNA Week kicked off Jan. 21 as a way to remind patients, families, medical professionals and others: “Every Breath. Every Beat. Every Second. WE ARE THERE!”

As usual, PANA is taking it a step further, stretching National CRNA Week into a month-long campaign to introduce Pennsylvanians to the highly skilled professionals behind the mask --- the men and women who are by their side during surgical procedures, from open-heart surgery to routine outpatient procedures.

CRNAs are the face of anesthesia care in Pennsylvania. There are more than 3,000 CRNAs and CRNAs-in-training in the commonwealth, providing hands-on anesthesia care in every setting: hospital operating and delivery rooms; ambulatory surgical centers; the offices of dentists, podiatrists, ophthalmologists, and plastic surgeons; and pain management centers.

It’s time to take off that mask and help our patients know who we are and what we do. The role of a CRNA requires intensive training and education and nurse anesthesia is a high-responsibility career. CRNAs provide anesthesia care for millions of patients each year. Nurse Anesthetists are most frequently the first responders to intraoperative emergencies, acting quickly with expert knowledge and skill in the care of our patients.

The average nurse anesthetist completes 9,000 clinical hours of training when you combine the clinical ICU experience as a RN required to enter CRNA training, the clinical experience obtained in an undergraduate nursing curriculum and the clinical anesthesia training in a nurse anesthetist program. That’s impressive. Our high level of education and clinical experience contributes to our capable, vigilant care of each patient.

CRNAs are the primary providers of anesthesia care in rural America, enabling health-care facilities in these medically underserved areas to offer obstetrical, surgical, pain management and trauma stabilization services. We’re battle tested, too, serving as the main providers of anesthesia care to U.S. military personnel on the front lines since World War I. CRNAs remain the primary anesthesia providers in austere combat theaters.

CRNAs are proud of their safety record and career. And that’s why this month, we are encouraging patients, families, medical professionals and others to learn more about the professionals behind the mask and appreciate the work we do. Because when it matters, nurse anesthetists are by your side for every breath, every heartbeat, every second. WE ARE THERE!

Jodie Szlachta, CRNA, Ph.D., is the President of the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA).

Share your #CRNAinPA selfie!

You can spread awareness about your profession by posting a simple picture and statement about what you do and why you like being a CRNA.

Print out one of the images below and post a selfie to Facebook or Twitter using #CRNAinPA! You can also tag PANA on Facebook or Twitter (@PANACRNA).

We're looking forward to seeing your posts and sharing some of them on the PANA pages!

For a printable pdf of this image, click here.

For a printable pdf of this image